Codemaster's Dirt series has been around for a very long time, dating back to the late 90s when it was Colin McRae's Rally. Yet in modern generations of the racer genre, Dirt rarely seems to get the attention it deserves. Thankfully, Codemaster has been updating the series regularly, diversifying it creatively and generally (mostly) improving its particular brand of racing.
Dirt 5 bridges the boundary between two console generations, and buying it for the PS4 or Xbox One will automatically get you an update to the PS5/XSX versions. Hopefully that's a big enough benefit to get a wider audience for the game, as it's a very solid update to Dirt 4 and a fun and distinctive racer compared to the competition.
While games like Forza also play in the dirt, few games have focused on down and dirty rally racing like this series.
Dirt 5 Review: Still So Dirty After All These Years
Granted, Dirt 5 is one step away from simply throwing the racing equivalent of the kitchen sink. The series has branched out to become more mainstream since changing its name, while trying not to alienate its original fan base in the process. The game has come a long way from stock challenge dirt tracks. As with Dirt 4, there's a ton of content here as a result.
Dirt 5 laudably focuses on giving players choice. The career mode is spread over five chapters filled with branching events that cover a range of racing styles. Race through dust, dirt, asphalt, ice and mud tracks in Greece, Africa, China, Arizona and other locations. There are ice races amid urban sprawl and other venues and types of events that don't fall entirely within the confines of traditional rally racing.
Overall, there are around 130 different events, with each chapter culminating in a "Main Event" race, but to access them you'll need to earn enough stamps in the Minor Races table.
The structure is fairly familiar to most career racing games, but Dirt 5 allows players to skip events if they wish. If you're more focused on traditional rally racing, for example, skipping those drift-obsessed challenges might seem particularly appealing, since there's a lot of emphasis on it this time around.
But the heart of the game is still focused on rugged terrain full of tricky twists, turns, and jumps. There are also a plethora of customization options to adjust the game to the exact level of challenge you want. From the absolute simplest with plenty of AI aids to help brake and maintain traction, to near sim-level physics, Dirt 5 is a very accommodating game.
One area where I suspect Codemasters has tried to really increase mainstream appeal is in the presentation of the career mode story. The developer has fully integrated popular racing YouTubers and gaming voice actors instead of the calmer, simpler narrators and assisting voices of previous games.
Known gaming voice products Troy Baker and Nolan North lend their voices to the characters, and the folks behind racing-enthusiast YouTube channel Donut Media essentially act as narration for the story. There are also other inclusions of household names in sports and YouTube, but this whole attempt to add YouTube appeal is a double-edged sword.
Some gamers might enjoy the morning radio show commentary, which seems like an ad-libbed joke framed around canned stats for every race type, feature, and location. Others (like, say, me) might miss the no-frills, less-joke-filled hints and tips of previous games.
Dirt 5 seems to have traded its slower focus on skill-building, co-driver alerts and, well, a realistic take on actual rally racing for more shine and celebrity endorsement (and we're using the word loosely ).
There's also some real corporate sponsorship backing to contend with, which is an interesting element. Choose from a variety of sponsors, each with specific rewards and requirements, which adds a sort of side challenge to the overall race. Each race even has sub-challenges like airtime, overtakes, drift lengths and more that earn you more rewards upon completion.
This constant layering of goals keeps Dirt 5 feeling fresh throughout. There's so much to do, so many options to tweak events, and a huge variety of officially licensed cars that the game just feels like a complete experience.
The gorgeous graphics and soundtrack don't hurt either. The 4K HDR visuals deliver the most detailed and impressive tracks the series has ever seen, but more importantly, they look just awesome. Licensed songs match the breakneck speed and challenge of dirt racing, and rugged car effects shake the room.
Of course, there's more to do beyond the career mode. Fast-paced races, unique challenges (the equivalent of random characters appearing in Super Smash Bros.), and playground mode round out the experience.
Playgrounds are basically player-created tracks for not just simple races, but also obstacle courses and derby-like spaces of destruction. There's already a ton of content to try out, and the authoring tools are easy to use.
Online play is incredibly robust. 12-player races let you race online on career mode tracks, but there's also a range of party modes. Dirt 5 includes cleverly twisted takes on King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and tag. While the game doesn't include true cross-play on different systems, you'll at least be able to play with others across generations on PlayStation and Xbox. So Xbox Series X players can compete against Xbox One players, for example.
Multiplayer not only supports regular online play, but also up to four split screens for all multi-car events, where human players just take the place of an AI car. This is the kind of option I prefer to see in every racing game. The interface for configuring split-screen options, however, is terribly vague and confusing, which made initial setup a little frustrating.
Examen de Dirt 5 – The Bottom Line
Advantages:
- Huge runner with tons to do
- Superb presentation
- Tight responsive controls
The inconvenients:
- YouTube-focused storytelling might not appeal to everyone
- Split-screen UI needs more clarity
Whether it's current-gen or next-gen, Dirt 5 is a robust and entertaining rider that's worth a ride.
Dirt 5 will be released on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia on November 6th. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions | S of the game will launch “later” in 2020. It will include a free update from current-gen to next-gen.
(Note: Codemasters provided the copy of Dirt 5 used for this review.)
